COVER STORY
Sunny Coast treasures It’s official – we are better than the Gold Coast (but then, we locals always knew that). Recently released tourism data reveals the Sunshine Coast had more domestic visitors than the Gold Coast in the year ending December 2020. More and more people are calling the Sunshine Coast home, and many visiting are discovering the region for the first time, so we thought we’d let you in on a few secrets. Sure you can visit the beaches and the usual tourist hotspots while you’re here, but we have a few other places – some of them hidden gems – that are worth exploring to get a sense of the real Sunshine Coast. Here are our top 10. WORDS: Jemma Pearson.
PUMICESTONE PASSAGE. IMAGE BY KRISTA EPPELSTUN
1. Sink a cold one While the Sunshine Coast is known for its many beaches and seaside communities, the region’s prosperity and population was once based on farming and timber getting and our country towns are worth a visit. Many of these communities have a lot going for them, including their own HISTORIC COUNTRY PUBS that offer so much more than a schooner of beer and a greasy chicken parmi. For an authentic experience, great food and some Insta-worthy photo opportunities, visit The Imperial Hotel in Eumundi, Beerwah Hotel, Hotel Maleny, or the pubs in Palmwoods, Yandina or Woombye.
it has a lot going for it. In town, there are cool cafes, the Nambour Book Exchange (the biggest and best second-hand bookstore on the Coast), pubs, vintage stores, a pinball parlour, comic book store, street art and friendly locals who are hugely passionate and proud of their town. Don’t leave without visiting Cilento Park – a pretty green space with a hidden waterfall.
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5. See the other zoo Australia Zoo is world famous, but there’s another zoo in the region – WILDLIFE HQ – that we also love. Located near the Big Pineapple, the zoo doesn’t have the size and scale of Australia Zoo, but it has loads of animal species and at $89 for a family ticket, a visit here is affordable for most. You can take part in an animal feeding encounter or have your photo taken with a koala, before enjoying morning tea or lunch at the onsite cafe.
2. Explore our arteries Call us biased, but when it comes to artistic credentials, we think the Sunshine Coast well and truly punches above its weight. If you don’t believe us, just pop into one of our many ART GALLERIES and see for yourself. The Caloundra Regional Gallery and University of the Sunshine Coast Art Gallery have exhibitions, education programs and activities all year round. But if you can’t get to Caloundra or out to Sippy Downs, we can guarantee there will be an art gallery near you – privately owned galleries and artists’ studios are dotted around the region.
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THE IMPERIAL HOTEL
3. Get a nature hit If you’re staying by the beach and craving some GREEN SPACE and a bushwalk, you don’t have to go all the way out to the hinterland. The Sunshine Coast has pockets of greenery all around, and sometimes they are where you least expect them. The Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden is less than 20 minutes from Mooloolaba and is a
6. Check out our public art stunning 82 hectares of native plants and wildlife. Buderim Forest Park and E J Foote Sanctuary, also in Buderim, plus Caloundra’s Ben Bennett Bushland Park are also bushland oases close to busy urban centres that are well worth a visit.
4. Go retro in Nambour The town of NAMBOUR isn’t the most obvious tourist destination, but we think
While there is plenty of natural beauty in our region, there’s also a fair amount of artist-made pieces that pull focus from the scenery. PUBLIC ART is popping up all over the region and there are a few places where you can get an artistic fix in the great outdoors. Nambour, Caloundra and Coolum have public art trails, plus there are loads of other pieces dotted around the region. To find out more and myweeklypreview.com.au
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